Dynamometer



C. V. TEMPLE April 22, 1930.

DYNAMOMETER Filed Nov. 8, 1928 Patented A pr. 22, 1930y CLQYDE V. TEMPLE, OF MCCAMEY, TEXAS DYNAMOMETER Application led November This invention relates to improvements in dynamometers of the type employed in connection with the drilling and pumping of oil wells.

In t-he operation of drilling oil wells, it is Avery desirable for the driller to be informed as to the exact weights on his cable, so that he may know the pressure of the bit on the bottom, as this enables him to make the hole 10 at the least cost.

Too little pressure means lost ltime while too much pressure means an Aoverloaded bit.

A steady pressure is necessary to avoid a twist o It is the object of this invention to produce af simple, substantial, reliable device, which can be quickly attached and by means of which the operator can determine at all times the weight on his cable during the drilling operation and when used in connection with pumping wells, it makes it possible to determine the amount of power re uired to operate the pumps and thereby to etermine the eiiiciency of the pumping unit, the horsepower required to operate it, the condition of the cups on the pump, and the weightpf the liquid in the well; lthe determination of whether the standing and traveling valves are working properly and if the well is properly counterbalanced or not.

WVhen used in connection with rotary drilling lines, it enables the operator to determine the ton miles'the line has travelled and the pressure of the bit on the bottom of the hole.

This invention briefly described consists in a member having an annular chamber which is divided into two annular compartments by a flexible diaphragm; one of said compartments is filled with liquid, as for example, 40 oil,4 and is connected with a pressure indi-u cator by means of which the pressure to which the fluid is subjected may be determined at any time. The other annular compartment contains a ring having a convex surface adjacent to the chamber. A plurality of the plungers extend through the bottoml of the annular groove that contains the ring and when pressure is applied to the plungers, forcing them inwardly, the ring will be forced against the diaphragm and bend the same in s, 1928.v seriai No. 318,024.'

such a manner as to decrease the volume of the chamber containing the oil. The pressure to which the liquid is4 subjected is determined from the pressure indicator.

This device is attached in the cable line or to the polish rod of a pump in such a' manner that the stress will be transmitted to the diaphragm' so that it may be accurately determined in the manner indicated.

The area of the diaphragm being known, the total weight can be determined by multiplying the area by the pressure, which is determined from a reading of a pressure gauge. `Having thus briefly described the invention, the same will now be described. in detail and references for this purpose will be had to the accompanying drawing in which the preferred embodiment thereto has been illustrated, and in which: 4

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved dynamometer showing the same in place at the upper end of a polish rod and shows the recording and the ordinary pressure gauges in place.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section4 taken on line 2-2 Fig. l and shows the annular chamber,

the flexible diaphragm, the ring and t-he plunger.

' Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3, Fig. 2 2.

Fig. 4 is a section similar to that shown in Fig. 2 and shows the position of the parts when they are subjected to pressure; and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the manner in which the dynamometer is attached to a rotary drill equipment.

In the drawing numeral l represents the well casing and 2 the stuifng box at the upper end thereof, while numeral 3 represents the polish rod. The upper end of the polish rod extends through a tubular member 4, which is provided with two outwardly extending arms 5. These arms terminate vin trunnions 6, to which the lower ends of the connectors 7 are attached. These connectorsare held in place by means of cotter pins 8 or some equivalent means. Theconnectors are secured to the lower ends of cables 9, which extend upwardly 'to the end ofthe walking beam that is usually employed for the operation of pumps for this type. Lo-

v y"chamber is formed from two circular mem- /l bers 11 and-12, which are preferably of the having a ilat bottom. It is possible, however,

to make the groove 16 of exactly the same shape as groove 15, but a groove having a fiat bottom is somewhat more suitable. A flexible diaphragm 17, which may be made of rubberize fabric or of a steel plate suitably corrugated so as to permit it to yield, is clamped between members 11 and 12 and divides the annular chamber into two compartments. The exact material used for the diaphragm is not of any great importance, the particular requirement .being that the diaphragm shall havesulicient strength and be yieldable so that it can be bent into the position shown in Fig. 4. Located within the lower compartment or the compartment formed by the groove in lblock 11 is a ring 18. This ring is of the proper size to fit the groove 16, and has its upper surface convex. A plurality of plungers 19 extend through the openings 20 in block 11 and rest upon the upper surface of circular block 10. The polish rod extends upward through blocks 11 and 12 and has secured to its upper end a clamp 21. This clamp is formed by two separate members` that are held together by means of bolts 22. The tubular member 4 is provided with two or more set screws 23v that may be used for holding the polish rod during the assembly of the parts, but after the parts have been assembled in thefmanner shown and described the set screws 23 are loosened so that the entire weight of the polish rod will be supported by the upper ends of bolts 14in the manner quite apparent from Fig. 2. Since the block 10 is supported by the .cables 9 and since the weight of the polish rod is supported by the clamp 21, the entire weight of the polish rod and attachedrparts will, of course, be supported by theplungers 19 and this will tend to force the diaphragmupwardlyintothe groove in block 12. The compartment above the diaphragmlis filled with fluid, as for example,oil, and is connected by means of a flexible metal tube 24, to a pressure indicator 25. Another flexible tube 26 puts the interior of the liquid containing compartment into connection with the pressure indicator 27. It is now apparent that with the parts adjusted in the manner described, the pressure to which the liquid in the upper compartment is subjected can be determined by the lreading of the pressure gauge or indicator and that by multiplying the area of the diaphragm by the pressure per square inch, the total Weight of the parts supported by the dynamometer can -be readily determined. The recording pressure indicator is of the usual type and is provided with a rotatable dial 28, so that a continuous recordr may be had of the operation for each 24 hours. These dials can be taken olf and stored away for future reference. It is apparent that if this dynamometer is connected with a pump of the type employed in connection with deep oil wells that the condition of the pump can be very quickly determined from the pressure readings. I; the pressure valves are leaky this will quickly show up and enable the operator to discover the fault almost as soon as it occurs.

As above pointed out, the readings ob-y tained by means of this instrument are useful for many purposes and enable the operator to intelligently control the machinery so as to get the best results at all times.

In Fig. 5 I have shown in a more or less diagrammatical manner how this dynamometer can be attached to a rotary drill. In this view, numeral 29 designates the rotary shank of the drill which is rotated by means of gears, one of which has been indicated di-v agrarnmatically and designated by reference numeral 13.

The drill is supported by means of a cable 31, which passes over sheaves 32, supported on the crown plate 33 of the derrick. This derrick has been shown diagrammatically and is s up orted by four corner posts 34. One end o the cable 31 is dead ended at 35 by being fastened to the cable loop comprising a cable 9, which corres onds to the 4cable 9 in Fig. 1. The ends o this cable are connected to the arms 5, and carry the dynamometer which is assembled in the manner described above. Rod 3 corresponds to the polish rod'in Fig. 1 and has its lower end anchored to the lower end of derrick by means of a cable 36. The other end of cable 35 extends to the drum of the hoisting winch which has not been shown.l It is apparent that only a certain proportion of the total weight of the drill will be su ported by the dynamometer and that there ore, the reading of the d na,- mometer will, bedirectly proportionategr to the weight of the tools supported by the multiple block 37, which may beseveral times the weight actually transmitted to the dynamometer. By a s' ple mathematical calculation the exact weight may be determined.

llO

From the above description, it will be apparent that I have roduoed a dynamometer of a very simple andp rugged construction that is well adapted to withstand the rough usa e to which instruments of this type will be su jected in this kind of work. The parts are allmassive and strong and the flexible diaphragm is well protected so that it will not be accidentally injured. The parts are of simple construction and can be cheaply made and readily assembled, thus making it possible to manufacture the 'device ata comparatively small cfost. The construction is such that there is very little inaccuracy due to friction, as the polish rod is freely movable through the openings and there are no moving parts whose friction tends to destroy the accuracy of the readings.

It is, of course, apparent that the pressure gauges 25 and 27 may be placed in any convenient position as they can be connected to the pressure chamber by means of any length of flexible tubing.

. Attention is called to the fact that this dynamometer does not require any lextensive calibration for the reason that the forces are transmitted directly to the annular ring and to the diaphragm so that it is only necessary.

to multiply the area of the diaphragm with the pressure in pounds per square inch to get the total weight.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. A dynamometer for use in connection with well drilling machines comprising a body member having -an annular chamber, a iiexible diaphragm separating said chamber into two annular compartments, a liquid in one of said compartments, a pressure gauge in communication with the compartment containing the liquid, whereby the pressure of the liquid may be determined, an annular ring in the other compartment, said ring having the surface adjacent the diaphragm transversely convex and means for moving the ring toward the diaphragm so as to bend the latter whereby the volume of the chamber containin the liquid will be decreased and the liquid plgaced under compression.

2. A dynamometer comprising two members each having an annular groove, in one side said grooves forming an annular chamber when the two members are assembled, a flexible diaphragm located between the ad'acent surfaces of the members so as to divide t e annular chamber into two annular compartments, means for securing the two members together one of said compartments containing a liquid, an annular ring in the other compartment, and means for forcing the rin against the diaphragm wherebyt-he latter w1ll be dismembers having an opening adapted to receive a rod, each of said members having one substantially flat surface adapted to fit against the corresponding surface of the other member, said members having their adjacent surfaces provided with a shallow annular groove concentric with the said opening,

means for securin the members together so e diaphragm located between the members,

liquid whereby the pressure of the liquid can beascertained, a ring in the other compartment and means comprising ,a plurality of plungers for moving the ring toward the diaphragm whereby the diaphragm will be bent toward the chamber containingrthe liquid so as to 'decrease the volume thereof and put the liquid under pressure.

4. A dynamometer comprising a base having an opening, a tension member secured to said base, a second tension member extending through the opening, and means for connecting said tension members, said means comprising two similar members each having an opening through which the second tension member may pass and each having a substantially flat surface that is perpendicular to the axis of the opening means for securing the members together with the fiat surfaces together the 'lat surface of each member having an annular groove concentric with the opening and of the y In testimony CLYDE V. TE LE.

torted and whereby the volume of the compartment containing the liquid will be decreased. t

3. A vdynamometer comprising two rigid whereof I afiix'my si nature. f 

